The study of adrenals of non chagasic control patients shows a mild lymphocytic infiltrate in the cortex in 30% of the cases and in the medulla in 50% of the cases. 83% of chronic chagasic patients reveal mononuclear infiltrate inperiadrenal tissue, 53% in the cortex and 93% in the medulla. In the cortex the exudate was always mild or moderate and in the medulla it was moderate in 30% and intense in 20% of the cases. The medulla of chagasic patients also shows slight fibrosis, in 27% of cases. The data show that the medulla of the adrenals of chagasics is involved preferentially if compared with the cortex. It is possible that the embryologic and functional relationship with the autonomous nervous system, may contribute to similar pathogenetic mechanisms in the ganglionitis and "adrenal medullitis" of the chronic trypanosomiasis.
Chagas' disease; Adrenal involvement